Sarah vs The New Car
by quistie64
Summary: Sarah's beloved Porsche has been destroyed and she must now get a new car. Easy, right? Not when everyone has an opinion on what she should get. Fun with the whole gang and of course lots of good Charah interactions.
1. Chapter 1  Destruction

**A/N: In "Chuck vs. the CAT Squad," Sarah's car exploded. Then, a few episodes later, she had a new car. This story explores how I think Sarah ended up with that new car.**

**This story started as a one shot, but as the gang all had to put their two cents in as to what Sarah should buy, it's a little longer. This begins at the end of "Chuck vs. the CAT Squad" (ep. 4.15).**

**No offense is intended if any of the characters in this story don't embrace a particular car you may like or own. Just chalk it up to Sarah being particularly picky when it comes to her car.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck. I don't work for any car companies. I don't work for the BBC or **_**Top Gear**_** (although that would be ripping good fun). I don't own any of the kinds of cars mentioned in this story nor was any money made. (Can you tell I used to work for lawyers?)**

**Chapter 1-Destruction**

Sarah Walker was conflicted. She had just enjoyed one of the most incredible and joyous evenings of her life. Friends and family had gathered to help her and Chuck celebrate their engagement. She was beyond thrilled to be marrying the man she had been in love with for, well, years. And yet here she was, sitting alone on their bed, her back against her pillows, shoes off and feet straight out in front of her. She hadn't bothered to change out of the blue print dress she had worn at the party. Arms across her chest, her eyes were staring and unfocused. She felt a deep sense of loss as thoughts and images from the previous few days flashed through her mind.

Trying to reconnect her with old friends, Chuck had tracked down her old team, the CAT Squad. They had arrived via helicopter and proceeded to "kidnap" her for an impromptu bachelorette party. She smiled at the fun they had that evening. The next morning, she, Chuck and Morgan had endured an uncomfortable breakfast where Amy was perky, Carina was snarky and Zondra was pissy.

She scowled when she thought of how they didn't seem very impressed with Chuck. It made her angry when they judged him like that and was glad when it was time for the squad to leave. Amy had asked for a ride on Zondra's motorcycle and Sarah was going to drive Carina to the airport in her Porsche. She closed her eyes as she remembered tossing her car keys to Carina so she could put her stuff in the car. Carina had walked toward it and hit the alarm button on the key fob. The alarm chirped twice and then the Porsche exploded in a huge fireball. The force of the bomb shot the car straight up into the air and blew it to pieces. Carina was blown backwards and knocked to the asphalt. They had rushed to her side and found a piece of the bomb impaled in Carina's thigh. Carina was lucky that it was only her leg that had been injured.

In the end, Amy was the one who planted the bomb and was exposed as Augusto Gaez's mole, a bad guy whom had the squad had chased for years. Both Amy and Gaez were apprehended. Sarah and Zondra had cleared the air about their longstanding dispute over the identity of Gaez's mole and Sarah was delighted when Zondra and Carina had agreed to be her bridesmaids.

Sarah's anger burned when she reflected on the fact that someone whom she thought was her friend had betrayed them all, planted a bomb and blew up her car. Her eyes stung as she remembered watching the burned out shell of her beloved Porsche be unceremoniously dumped on a flatbed truck and hauled away by CIA cleaners.

What was she supposed to do for a car until the CIA got her a new one? And how quickly would it happen? General Beckman knew her car had been destroyed, but she hadn't had the time to officially submit a request with the Agency to replace it, so she knew it would be a little time before a new one arrived. She sighed when she realized she would be stuck riding shotgun in Chuck's Herder.

Silence had fallen over the courtyard now that the party was over and the cleanup was finished. Chuck had helped with the clean up, but had refused to allow her to help in any way. Instead, he had sent her to their apartment and in no uncertain terms, told her not to come out again until morning. She thought of arguing that she was perfectly capable of helping, but in the end, she acquiesced. It had been an exhausting few days and she was grateful for the respite.

Chuck pulled off his tie as he entered the bedroom. He saw the look on Sarah's face and knew immediately something was wrong. He sat on the side of the bed, flipped off his shoes and hauled his legs up onto the bed, his parallel to hers. He leaned against his pillows and put his arm loosely around her shoulders.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked quietly. "Did something happen at the party?"

She sat up a little straighter on the bed and said quickly, "Oh, no. It's nothing like that." She relaxed back into the pillows and said, "I'm just bummed about my car. My Porsche is gone." The tears stung and threatened to escape.

He pulled her closer and replied sympathetically, "I know. I'm sorry." He smiled and said, "That really was a great car." He thought back to the dates they had been on, fake or otherwise, in the Porsche. He smiled when he remembered the time they drove to his dad's trailer, out in the middle of nowhere, seeing him for the first time in years. She had been by his side the whole time.

"Do you remember the time we drove the Porsche up to my dad's cabin? You came in when the Ring agents were trying to get the Governor. My dad thought maybe you had the Intersect, too." He grinned at his kick-ass ninja fiancée.

She smirked and said, "Well, what was I supposed to do? I had to throw that hatchet to deflect the knife that was about to bifurcate your head." She reached up and tapped his forehead with her finger. "I like your noggin the way it is."

"Bifurcate?" he asked with a smile.

"Well, you know, Morgan gave us that 'Word of the Day' calendar. It's good to expand one's vocabulary, no?" she purred. The earlier malaise she had been feeling was lifting. He always knew how to make her feel better.

He leaned over and gave her a kiss. "Mmm-hmm. So what are you going to do about a car?" he whispered into her hair.

She scooted down a little and rolled slightly toward Chuck, throwing her left leg over his. "I need to fill out the paperwork to request a new one," she answered quietly. Her fingers began to unbutton his shirt. Now she was feeling A LOT better.

"Well, between the Herder and Casey's Crown Vic, we can get you to where you need to go until…" he trailed off, watching her fingers work their way down his shirt.

"Until what, Chuck?" she murmured as her fingers found a button on a different piece of Chuck's apparel to unbutton.

His eyes glazed. "Um, was I talking? I don't remember what…mmmm," she pressed her lips against his, ending the conversation.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Two days later, Sarah was alone in Castle, standing in front of the video monitor waiting to speak with General Beckman. Sarah assumed this conference was about the replacement car she had requisitioned and was excited to find out when it would arrive.

Beckman's face came up on the screen and Sarah smiled, "Good morning, General."

"Good morning, Agent Walker. I assume you know to what this conference pertains?" the general asked, her eyebrows rose at the question.

"Well, ma'am," Sarah started, "I assume it is about my new car." A feeling of excitement fluttered in her stomach.

"Yes, well, about that Agent Walker," the general frowned, glancing down at a piece of paper on her desk.

The flutter of excitement turned to dread. "Is there a problem?" She was afraid of the answer.

"I'm sorry, Sarah." Sarah's stomach dropped. It was never good when General Beckman called her by her first name. "With all of the budget cuts happening in Washington, the CIA's transportation budget has been slashed. We cannot afford to replace your car with anything similar to what you had before."

"What does that mean, exactly?" she asked slowly. "The Agency will give me a cheaper car?"

The general nodded. "Yes, unfortunately it will be significantly cheaper." The general removed her half glasses and looked straight at Sarah. "The Agency can only spend $10,000 on your replacement car."

Sarah's eyes widened in shock. "That's all? $10,000? What can they get with that?"

"Honestly, nothing you would want to drive," Beckman frowned. "My Town Car has been replaced with a Chevy Impala. How is a high ranking officer in the NSA…" she muttered angrily to herself and then stopped. She schooled her features, replaced the frown with a neutral look and smoothed her hair with her hand. "I'm sorry, but this is affecting us all."

Sarah stayed quiet and nodded in understanding.

Beckman continued, "I assumed that you would be less than thrilled at the prospect of driving a $10,000 car that the agency would choose. I'd like to propose a compromise. The Agency will give you $10,000 toward a car of your choosing. You must use your own money beyond that amount to purchase any car. You can get the car you are willing to pay for. I'm sorry Sarah, but that's the best I can do."

Sarah's shoulders slumped in defeat. She knew Beckman was presenting her with the best offer. With the wedding coming up and those expenses, she wasn't sure what she could afford. She looked back to the monitor and responded, "Yes, I know General. Thank you for at least allowing me to choose the car."

"I'm sorry it can't be more," the general said, meaning it. "Let me know when you have purchased the car and the Agency will transfer the $10,000 to you. Good luck, Agent Walker," the general said curtly and pushed a button on her desk ending the video feed.

"Thank you, ma'am," Sarah replied to an empty screen.

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Sarah approached the Nerd Herd desk, a despondent look on her face. Chuck glanced up from his work and immediately ran around the desk to give her a comforting hug. "Sarah, what's the matter? You look like someone just shot your puppy!"

She took a deep breath in an attempt to control her emotions. "I just talked to Beckman. The Agency will only give me $10,000 toward a new car. I have to pay for the rest myself. Or I can drive the $10,000 car they'll give me." She shuddered at the thought.

"Well, sweetie, that's not so bad," Chuck said, trying to sound enthusiastic. "I bet there are lots of nice cars you can get for that kind of money. People do it all the time. A lot of people drive cars that are worth a lot less."

She shot him a withering glare and growled menacingly, "_I_ don't drive those kinds of cars, Chuck."

His eyebrows shot up in panic. "No, no, no, of course you don't! I just meant that with a little research, I'm sure we can get you a great car."

"I don't know, Chuck," she said, rather dubiously.

He was silent for a moment, deep in thought and then his face split into a grin. "I know! You love that British car show, _Top Gear_, right?"

"Yeah," she said slowly. Richard Hammond was her favorite on the show because he loved Porsche 911's more than anything else in the world, except for maybe his wife.

"You know how they are always doing challenges where the producers give them a certain amount of money and they have to go out and buy the best car they can for that amount? You know, it's usually some crazy low amount for what they are trying to buy?"

"Yeah," she replied again, her eyebrow arching. She loved it when the presenters had to buy those horrible pieces of crap and then do all kinds of crazy challenges with them. She just wanted a nice car to drive. She didn't plan on filling hers up with water to see how far she could go around the test track before all the water leaked out to find out how solidly the car was made. She allowed a small smile to creep across her face as she remembered that particular challenge. Goofballs, she smiled fondly.

"Well, pretend this is a _Top Gear_ challenge! Go find the best car you can. As an added bonus, you can go over the amount as much as you can afford. The guys on _Top Gear_ don't have that luxury!" he finished triumphantly.

She flashed him a brilliant smile. "See, this is why I'm gonna marry you," she said, pulling him close to give him a kiss. "You are a genius!"

"Really? That's why you're going to marry me?" He wiggled his eyebrows and said, "I thought it was because of my huge…"

She smacked him on the arm and threw him a look that was a mixture of amusement and desire.

"Knowledge of _Star Wars_ trivia," he finished. He had a self-satisfied smirk on his face.

Smirker. She rose up on her tiptoes and whispered something in his ear that turned his face crimson red. She glanced at his face and then continued to whisper in his ear. Small droplets of sweat appeared on his forehead and his upper lip. When she stopped whispering and nipped his earlobe with her teeth, he involuntarily shuddered. Then she turned on her heel and sauntered off toward the DVD section of the store. She glanced over her shoulder as she moved away. A small smile graced her features as she saw Chuck stand rooted to the floor, eyes glazed and unblinking.

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Sarah stood in the DVD section of the Buy More, holding several boxed sets of _Top Gear_ in her hand. The _Top Gear_ guys always reviewed different cars and she wanted to rewatch some of the reviews of cars she was interested in.

Satisfied she had enough DVDs to get started, she turned to head toward the checkout. She nearly ran over Lester and Jeff who had silently sidled up next to her. She put the empty hand on her hip and looked down at Lester. "What do you want, Lester." She didn't even acknowledge Jeff swaying next to him.

"We couldn't help but overhear that you are in need of a new car and that you have $10,000 to spend. I'm sure Jeffrey would be honored to sell you Loretta for that amount, wouldn't you Jeffrey?"

"Huh?" Jeff said as he worked to focus his eyes. "I don't want to sell Loretta. I love her. And she holds all of our surveillance stuff."

He grabbed Jeff by the shirt and whispered fiercely, "Jeffrey, we wouldn't sell the equipment, just the van. Then we would buy a new van and put all the equipment in_ it_."

Sarah rolled her eyes and sighed. She could literally see Jeff thinking through the implications of what Lester had just said. She was afraid he might blow a gasket thinking so hard. She shifted her weight and waited. His brow furrowed for another moment as he remained deep in thought. Then his eyes opened wide and his face brightened. _There it is_, she thought to herself.

Jeff straightened his stained tie and stood up a little straighter. "Of course letting Loretta go would be very difficult," he slurred, "but since you're Chuck's main squeeze, I could part with her for you." His rheumy eyes stared at her.

She gave a small involuntary tremor. She swallowed a small amount of bile that rose in her throat and replied, "As…interesting…as that offer is, I'm going to have to say 'no.' I'm not sure I'm a van type of girl."

"That's not what I heard," Lester muttered under his breath.

Sarah's eyes flashed dangerously. She raised herself to her full, intimidating height, stepped closer and glared down at Lester. Her face was dark with menace, her eyes a blue fire. "What did you just say?" she asked, her voice like death.

Lester hunched in nervousness and slunk back a step. He cleared his throat and whispered, "'I heard that.' That's what I said," turning his head away from her wrathful gaze.

She nodded and growled, "That's what I thought." She shot them both warning looks, turned and walked toward the checkout.

"That's okay, Lester," Jeff said to Lester. "I didn't really want to sell Loretta anyway."

"Jefferson, I think I soiled myself. I have to go and change my 'armor.'"

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Sarah wanted to go home and watch her newly purchased _Top Gear_ DVDs. She had even walked out the main Buy More doors and was striding through the parking lot when she stopped dead in her tracks. She didn't have a car in which to drive home. _This was all stupid, perky Amy's fault_, she thought angrily to herself. She wanted to pull out her Smith & Wesson and blow out some tires on the cars surrounding her, but knew that wasn't a prudent use of ammunition. So she heaved a sigh, turned around and trudged back toward the entrance of Buy More.

Chuck came to her rescue when he suggested she watch her DVDs in the Home Theater Room. She thought about simply going down to Castle and watching them on one of the screens there, but the idea of watching those fabulous sports cars on a big screen with surround sound appealed to her. So there she sat on the couch with a notepad in her lap, scribbling down copious notes about each car the _Top Gear_ guys reviewed.

Sarah looked up from her notes and paused the DVD when Chuck opened the door and sauntered into the room. She grinned up at him, her eyes shining with excitement. He plopped down on the sofa next to her and put his arm across the back of it, his hand gently resting on her shoulder. She snuggled closer.

"Jeff and Lester are watching the desk so I thought I would come in and see how you were doing," he said, leaning over to kiss her temple. "From that grin of yours, it looks like you're having fun."

"I am!" she exclaimed. "I've never bought a car before. The CIA always just gave me one to use, so this is a whole new, different, fun experience for me. I get to choose what I drive!"

Chuck grinned at her enthusiasm. He didn't want to dampen it, but he also knew that the experience of buying a car wasn't necessarily as much fun as she might think. He decided that it would be best for him to keep that to himself and let her enjoy it.

"So, what do you have on your list?" he asked, sneaking a peek at the notepad on her lap.

She flipped it over quickly and said in a warning tone, "No fair peeking. I'm making a list of the cars I like from _Top Gear_ and the ones they've given good reviews to. That's where I want to start."

She glanced over at him and said with a smirk, "Did you hear that Jeff and Lester offered to sell me Jeff's van?"

"Wha-, what?" He burst out laughing. Then he schooled his face and asked in a serious voice, "So when do you pick up the keys?"

She wrinkled her nose at him and gave him a playful nudge with her shoulder. "I don't think there is enough disinfectant in the world to get me in that van." She shuddered at the idea.

"Oh, I don't know," Chuck teased. "I can see you tooling around Burbank in Loretta. She's got lots of spy gear in her."

She snorted and said, "They were going to take that stuff out! They wanted me to buy just that petri dish on wheels for ten grand."

Chuck snickered at the picture in his head of her driving that Mitsubishi van around town, complete with beads hanging from the ceiling. "Alright, that's fine. We'll get you something else," he said in mock exasperation.

"Darn right we'll get me something else," she growled as she attacked his lips with hers, utterly surprising him. She threw a leg across him and straddled him, her hands raking through his hair. The remote control fell off the sofa and bounced, turning the DVD player back on. They continued their assault on each other's mouths while on the screen from a mile up in the air, a red Volkswagen Beetle was dropped from a helicopter and plunged toward the earth. At the same time, Hammond raced his Porsche 911 across a South African salt flat, trying to drive a mile before the Beetle hit the ground. It was the only way a Beetle could every beat a Porsche in a mile race. The Beetle hit the ground with a satisfying thud just before Hammond's 911 streaked across the finish line. Although the Beetle had technically won the race, it was now nothing more than a wreck of twisted metal.

Sarah pulled away from Chuck and glanced over her shoulder at the screen. She turned back to him and mumbled before smashing her lips on his, "Serves it right for messing with a Porsche."


	2. Chapter 2 Disillusionment

**A/N: Don't own Chuck. Wish I owned a Bugatti Veyron.**

**Chapter 2 – Disillusionment**

Sarah's boots echoed against the orange metal steps as she made her way down into Castle. The Home Entertainment Room turned out to be both informative _and_ fun. She subconsciously smoothed her hair after the rather rambunctious session she and Chuck had enjoyed on the couch. Her skin still tingled from where his hands had wandered their way under her shirt. She reached the bottom of the stairs and stopped. She turned and looked back up the stairs, thinking. She considered going back upstairs, finding Chuck, bringing him downstairs with her and hauling him into the supply closet. She took a deep breath and shook her head. No, she needed to get to work.

She strode across the room and placed her notepad down on the table next to the computer terminal. She smiled to herself when she realized how analog she was being with her notepad and pen. Chuck would have used a spreadsheet with multiple columns and rows analyzing in fifteen different ways the data for each car in which she was interested. The thought of all that information nearly gave her a headache. No, she was happy with her notepad and intuition. She glanced down at the list. She knew most of the cars found on there were extremely expensive, but figured it was worth looking into them anyway. _You just never know_, she reasoned.

She sat down in front of the computer and opened a browser to start her research to find the perfect car for her. At the top of her list sat the name of her ultimate dream car: the Bugatti Veyron. Her heart beat a little faster when she thought about that car; its stunning looks and face peeling speed. Even Captain Slow had managed to go 253 miles an hour in the Veyron. And that was three years ago and not even the SuperSport. Her fingers flew over the keyboard as she typed the words "Bugatti Veyron" in the search box and hit the enter key with great anticipation.

Her heart sank immediately when she read the words, "the most expensive modern car in the world at $1,900,000." She picked up her pen and wrote $1.9 million next to the car's name. She clicked on some of the "for sale" links. Well, it made her feel a little better that she could buy a used one for $1.1 million, but still, that was way out of her price range. She scowled at the idea of buying a used car. There was a dealer in Beverly Hills that sold them. _A test drive might be fun, though_, she thought to herself.

A news story about a Veyron caught her eye. She read the caption and her mouth dropped open. She clicked on the story and read it in full. In 2009, some guy drove his Veyron into a saltwater lagoon outside of Galveston, Texas. The driver said he was distracted by a pelican and that he dropped his cell phone, thus causing him to crash. She clicked on a YouTube video of the actual incident. A couple of guys had been randomly taking video of the Veryon as it cruised along the road, thinking it was a "Lambo." Sarah rolled her eyes at their ignorance. Clearly these guys didn't know anything about supercars. She watched in horror as that beautiful piece of engineering and craftsmanship simply veered off the road and into the lake. A huge plume of water sprayed up into the air as the nose of the car plunged into the lagoon. The expletive that escaped her lips echoed that of the guy with the video camera. The car came to rest about two-thirds under water. Watching the video again, Sarah didn't see a pelican fly at the car. It was kind of like watching and rewatching the Zapruder film and the grassy knoll. Was there really a pelican? Did he crash because he dropped his cell phone? Whatever the case, she decided that when driving a Veyron and you drop your cell phone, leave it where it is.

She took a deep breath and ran her hands through her hair, trying to shake off the shock of watching a Veyron become a submarine. She pulled back her focus and looked down at her notepad. The Koenigsegg Agera R was next on her list. She typed in the name of the Swedish supercar and hit enter. A chill ran up her spine when a picture of a new 2011 Agera popped up on her screen. "Oh," she breathed in awe. She scrolled down, drinking in the pictures of its exterior and interior. She let out a groan when she saw the starting price of a new Agera was $1,410,380. She snorted to herself. Well, with Beckman's $10,000, she only had to come up with another $1.4 million. Chuck could chip in the other $380. No problem.

She scanned the pages a little more and found that there was a Koenigsegg CCX for only $545,568. _Wow, a bargain_, she snickered. She noted the amounts on her list and moved on to the next car.

And so it went. The Ferrari 458 Italia, $245,000. The Pagani Zonda, $350,000. Even replacing her bombed out car with a 2011 Porsche 911 was going to cost around $150,000.

She leaned back in her chair, scowled at the screen and crossed her arms in front of her chest in frustration.

She looked up from the screen when she heard Chuck scampering down the stairs into Castle. He frowned when he saw the scowl on her face. "Research not going well?" he asked timidly.

"No," she seethed.

Chuck moved closer and looked at her list of cars and their corresponding prices. His eyebrows shot up and he let out a low whistle. "Sarah, baby, I work at the Buy More. I hate to tell you this, but we can't afford any of these cars."

"I know, Chuck," she sighed. "I have some money tucked away, but I really don't want to spend it all on a stupid car." Her scowl was replaced by a rueful smile. "I guess I'll just think of this list as my 'someday' wish list."

He knelt down next to her chair and pushed a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. He cupped her face and said, "You know I would get any of these cars for you if I could." He shrugged. "Maybe someday, if we had, I don't know, like $877 million, we could get you one."

She smiled at him, her bad mood lifting. He was so cute. "Okay, if we ever get $877 million, do you promise to buy me any one of these cars on this list?"

"Cross my heart," he said as he ran his finger across his chest.

She glanced at him slyly. "Even the Veyron?" she purred.

He nodded. "Even the Veyron," he promised.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They sat at the conference table in Castle, discussing their next move in their quest to acquire a new ride for Sarah when Casey walked in.

"What's up with you two?" he asked, and then immediately wished he hadn't. He didn't want to hear about wedding plans or ongoing family dramas.

Chuck glanced up at Casey and said, "Sarah needs to buy a new car since her Porsche got blown apart. We're just trying to figure out what she should buy."

Casey gave a thankful grunt that this was something that didn't make him want to gnaw off his own arm and beat himself silly with the bloody stump. He pulled out a chair and sat down at the table.

Sarah cut him off before he could start. "No, Casey. I'm not going to buy a Crown Vic."

"Of course you're not," he growled. "That's not the right ride for you. You need a Hummer," he looked at her, his eyes flashing with excitement. "And not one of those silly baby H2 or H3 Hummers, either. A real, almost a tank, H1 Hummer. The way you and Bartowski here are always getting into trouble, you could use a tank."

She had to admit to herself that she couldn't dismiss this idea out of hand. She and Chuck were always getting in trouble, and a Hummer would be great protection. "I'm not so sure how great it would be for going to the grocery store, though. Will it even fit in a parking space?"

"Who cares? Just roll over those other cars and squish them like bugs," Casey said with a gleam in his eye.

Chuck's head snapped toward Casey. "Okay, _that's_ not disturbing or anything," he replied sarcastically. He walked over the terminal and did a quick search. "Um, Casey? They don't even make H1 Hummers anymore. They stopped making them in 2006. Those are the newest for sale and run $150,000 and up."

"Well, then buy a used one," Casey said simply.

Standing behind Sarah, Chuck's eyes grew wide with fear. He shook his head and frantically waved his arms. He mouthed, "No, no, no!"

At the same time, Sarah's eyes narrowed at Casey and she said in a voice as quiet as death, "I'm not buying a used car."

Casey's eyebrow crooked up at her vehement refusal to buy a used vehicle. "Oh, come on Walker. What's got your knickers in a twist about buying a used car?"

Chuck's shoulders slumped and his head hung in defeat. He sat down heavily in the chair by the computer terminal. He had mentioned buying a used car, "pre-owned" if you wanted to sound fancy, to her the night before. She had turned on him, eyes blazing. "You don't want me to do that, Chuck," she had warned him.

Now Casey had stepped into the same hole with no way of escape.

"The guys on _Top Gear_ were given a challenge," she started. "They each had to go out and buy a used four seater convertible with £2,000, which is approximately $3,000. All three ended up buying 20 year old BMW 325i's." She smiled when she thought about the guys' initial embarrassment when they all ended up with the same kind of car. Her smile faded and her eyes narrowed again as she continued. "One of the challenges was to take their cars to a forensics lab. Men in white hazmat suits wiped and swabbed those cars to find out what kind of past 'life' they'd had."

Casey squirmed a little at the flint in her voice.

"Do you want me to tell you what they found, Casey?" she asked menacingly.

He took a deep breath and nodded. "Do your worst," he answered bravely. Chuck dropped his head in his hands and groaned quietly to himself.

"Scabs," she started. "Nasal mucous, saliva on the steering wheels, flakes of skin, pubi-"

Chuck leapt from his chair. "Sarah, Sarah, Sarah, Sarah, Sarah, Sarah!" he babbled, cutting her off. He quickly moved to her side and placed a calming hand on her arm. "I think we get the picture. Sweetie, you know I'm totally okay with you not getting a used car."

Her body relaxed and the danger in her eyes faded. "Yeah, I know. Thank you," she gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"Yeah, whatever, Walker," Casey scoffed. "I didn't know you were such a germ-o-phobe."

"I'm sorry, Casey," she said sarcastically. "I didn't realize not wanting a car with fecal…"

Casey closed his eyes and held up a hand to stop her. "Gross," he said. "I know what people do at stoplights, so just…gross." He opened his eyes and looked at her and said in all seriousness, "Just don't miss out on a great ride because of some flakes of skin." He stood up and began to make his way up the stairs.

"Where do you think you're going?" Sarah called after him, watching him ascend the steps.

"I'm, uh, just going to go and, uh, have the interior of my car detailed," he said. Without looking back he threatened, "Not a word, you two."

Sarah turned to Chuck and grinned, amusement dancing in her eyes. He snorted and shook his head in response.

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Evening had fallen and Sarah sat on the sofa of their living room, mindlessly watching TV. She had never noticed how many car commercials there were until she needed to buy a car herself. Apparently, some guy named Cal Worthington sold a lot of cars. She was also surprised at the staggering number of different makes and models from which to choose. She was beginning to despair that she would never find the perfect car.

She glanced over at the front door of the apartment when she heard the doorknob turn. She expected to find Chuck coming in, but saw that it was Morgan instead.

"Oh, hey, Sarah," he greeted her.

"Hey, Morgan," she replied as she smiled and stretched a little. She picked up the TV remote and hit the mute button.

"Chuck here?" Morgan asked.

"No, he ran to the store to get some stuff for dinner," she replied.

Morgan closed the door behind him and sat down in the chair near the sofa. "Alex is coming by here in a little while. We're going out to dinner. Sizzling shrimp."

Sarah smiled and said, "Sounds like fun." She asked him quietly, "So you and Alex are okay? I'm sorry about the whole thing with Carina. She's a bit of a handful."

He smiled and nodded his head, "Yeah, she sure is." Then he added, "But that whole Carina thing was good because it really made me realize how I feel about Alex." He smiled brightly.

Sarah nodded. "I'm glad you two were able to work it out. You are great together," she said, meaning it.

"Thanks," he said with a grin. His face suddenly sobered and he said, "Oh hey, Sarah, I'm so sorry about your Porsche. Dude, bummer."

She smiled ruefully and replied, "Yeah, thanks. I've been doing some research trying to figure out what to buy, but all the great cars are really expensive."

"I know, right?" He thought for a moment and then said, "I think you should get a car like Black Beauty from _The Green Hornet_. You would look so _badass_ in it with its machine guns attached to the hood and it being bullet proof and all," he babbled with excitement. "That bad boy can even fire rockets!" he said enthusiastically. "But Chuck told me you didn't want to get a used car…" he trailed off, suddenly a bit worried he'd stepped in it.

He relaxed when he saw her smile, "I'm not sure how the CHP would feel about me driving around greater Los Angeles with machine gun turrets attached to the hood of my car. And truthfully, we have enough rocket launching cars around here."

A quizzical look crossed his face and then he smiled in understanding. "Casey's Crown Vic. Yeah, you're right." He smiled as he stood up from his chair and said, "I've got to go get ready. I'll keep thinking. If I think of the perfect _new_ car for you, I'll let you know."

"Thanks, Morgan."

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Chuck and Sarah moved about the kitchen preparing their dinner of Portobello mushroom burgers with avocado when there was a knock at the door. Chuck moved to answer it, but Sarah stopped him with a hand on his back and a stolen kiss. "You stay, I'll get it. It's probably Alex." She walked to the door and let Alex in.

"Morgan should be out in a few minutes. Would you like some wine, Alex?" Sarah asked.

"Oh, no thanks. I'm driving tonight." Alex sat down on one of the barstools and watched as Chuck and Sarah returned to their dinner preparations. "Sarah, my dad tells me you are in the market for a new car."

Sarah didn't want to be rude, so she bit back the wave of irritation she felt. She didn't want to think about cars anymore today. Instead, she replied, "Yeah, I am. Did he tell you what he wants me to buy?"

Alex frowned and said, "Yeah, one of those horrible Hummers. Those are terrible for the environment."

"Ah," was all Sarah could muster as a reply. She hoped the topic would die a quick death if she gave a noncommittal reply. She was sorely mistaken.

"You have the chance to make a difference in the world in terms of carbon emissions and traffic and reliance on foreign oil," Alex preached. Apparently she had been swept up in the environmental zeitgeist.

"So you think I should get a Prius?" Sarah asked. The thought had crossed her mind, but it didn't…move her.

Alex snorted. "Nope. You should get a Smart Car," she exclaimed triumphantly.

Both people in the kitchen stopped what they were doing and looked at Alex as if she had just announced that Sarah should ride a unicorn to work every day.

"Wha-, um, a Smart Car?" Chuck stuttered. "Aren't they, um, kind of small?" he asked.

"Well, you would think so, but I've read that they are really very roomy inside. I'm thinking about getting one for myself," Alex enthused.

Sarah stifled a giggle at the thought of her 6 foot 4 inch soon to be husband folding himself like an accordion in order to get into a Smart Car. She wasn't too sure how well she would fit, either.

"How fast can it go from zero to 60?" Sarah asked.

"Does that matter?" Alex asked innocently.

"My Porsche could do it in about 5 seconds," she answered proudly. "Don't you find acceleration speed helpful when getting on LA freeways?"

Chuck pulled out his iPhone and his thumbs worked quickly over the screen. "Smart Car, not modified, zero to 60 in 14 seconds."

Sarah's eyebrows shot up. "Um, wow!" was all she could say.

Chuck winked at her and said, "At least it can make it to 60. Remember, Morgan's DeLorean couldn't even make it to 60."

Sarah laughed, "Or even 50 as I recall."

Morgan walked into the room and said sheepishly, "Actually, it stalled if it went over 22 miles per hour."

"That's right!" Chuck laughed. "Excellent use of cash there, buddy."

"Yeah, but I came out ahead because it was stolen and I got Blue Book for it. Booyah!" he exclaimed. He made his way over to Alex and kissed her on the cheek.

Sarah caught Chuck's eye and gave him a surreptitious wink. Morgan never found out about the true disposition of his DeLorean and she hoped he never would.

Morgan grabbed Alex's hand and pulled her toward the door. "Come! Sizzling Shrimp awaits!"

"See you later," Alex waved as they left.

Sarah let out a huge sigh when they were gone. "That was surreal," she said. "Casey wants me to get a Hummer and Alex wants me to buy a Smart Car. Talk about a study in contrasts!"

"So you don't like the Smart Car idea, huh?" he ventured.

"No, it's a little too small. I honestly don't think either of us would fit in it very well." She shot him a lascivious grin and said huskily, "And besides, I need room in my car to…maneuver."

He grinned back. "Maneuver, huh? You mean like this?" he said as he grabbed her by the hand, spun her into his arms and dipped her. He attacked her exposed neck with his lips.

She threw her arms around his neck and moaned, "Yes, definitely something like this."

It was some time before they returned to their dinner preparations.

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**A/N, part 2: The accident with the Veyron really did happen. If you want to see the YouTube video referenced in this story, search "Bugatti Veyron Lake Crash". The video was posted by Jomgarza. It is only 25 seconds long. It is so worth watching. I don't see a pelican.**

**As always, please review.**


	3. Chapter 3 Dilemma

**A/N:** Thank you for all your wonderful comments about this story. I love how people are passionate about their cars: the ones they own and the ones they wish they owned. I also love that there are readers who are becoming motorheads! Awesome.

Don't own Chuck. Please hit that review button.

**Chapter 3 - Dilemma**

The sun was unsuccessful in its bid to break through the high fog above the asphalt and grass. There was a chill in the air and Sarah was glad for the jeans and brown leather jacket she wore. She slipped her hands in her jacket pockets and looked around at her surroundings. She stood at the edge of acres of open space surrounded by trees. She could see a large passenger plane parked off in the distance. She wasn't sure why she was there, but she had a feeling it was important. She stood by the strip of asphalt and waited.

A moment later she heard the unmistakable whine of a high performance automobile race toward her. She turned her head and looked at the car as it streaked in her direction. _No. It couldn't be_, she thought to herself. But it was. Her stomach flipped and her knees felt weak. She recognized its distinctive grill work and the sound of the turbos. A black Bugatti Veyron glided up and slid to a stop just in front of her.

The engine turned off and the driver's side door opened. Out of the car stepped a being clad in white coveralls, white gloves and a white helmet with a black visor that completely covered his face. He walked around the front of the car and stopped, facing Sarah. He silently crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at her.

"You're the Stig," she whispered reverently. She stood before him like a supplicant before the Pope.

"Some say he naturally faces magnetic north, and that all his legs are hydraulic," she whispered to herself.

He remained silent, as she knew he would. The Stig never spoke. No one knew for sure if he was even human. "Some say," she had heard, "his skin has the texture of a dolphin's, and that wherever you are in the world if you tune your radio to 88.4 you can actually hear his thoughts." She peered up at his black visor, unable to see the features hidden behind it.

He raised his hand and crooked a gloved finger, motioning her to follow him. She followed him back around the front of the car to the driver's side where the door stood open. He motioned for her to get in.

She glanced up at the visor again. "You want me to drive?"

He simply nodded.

She took a quick look around the area again before she slipped into the car. She recognized it now. She was at the _Top Gear _test track in Surrey, England. The track was designed by test drivers from Lotus and lies on a former airbase built during World War Two.

She sat down in the seat and pulled her legs into the car. The Stig closed her door, walked around to the passenger side, opened the door and got in. He put on his seatbelt, placed his hands on his knees and faced forward toward the windscreen. After that, he did not move.

"You want me to drive?" she asked again, her voice filled with wonder. There still was no movement, but this time she heard a grunt. She cocked an eyebrow and shrugged her shoulders. She put on her seatbelt and pushed the button to turn on the massive engine. It was surprisingly quiet for the thousand horsepower it held.

She grabbed the steering wheel and pressed her foot down on the accelerator. The car suddenly was moving at 70 miles an hour. She didn't even know how it happened so quickly. Pure adrenaline coursed through her veins as she approached the first turn at a crazy high rate of speed. As she hit the brake, the airbrake rose at the back of the car, forcing the car down to grip the road. The tires screamed at the apex of the turn. The car came out of the turn, only to go into the next. She grinned as they neared the straightaway. She flipped the paddle and shifted the gears up as the car flew past the pile of tires along the side of the track. The pile of tires bounced and swayed in the car's turbulence. The only movement from the Stig's side of the car was when he picked up an iPod, plugged it into the console and turned it on. Suddenly, the car was filled with the stirring strains of Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyrie." She stole a glance at the Stig. Very _Apocalypse Now_, she thought.

She steered through the final corner and across the finish line. She flipped the paddle to shift down to stop, but the Stig put his index finger in the air and twirled it around in a circle, indicating to her that she was to do another lap. Happy to comply, she stomped her foot down and the car shot forward. She did four more laps before the Stig motioned that it was time to stop.

Sarah's whole body tingled and buzzed. Her hands trembled ever so slightly as she still gripped the steering wheel, staring out through the windscreen. It felt to her as if the world had stopped when the car came to a standstill. Everything around her seemed to move in slow motion. She already missed the thrilling speed and power of the car. She sighed and was slightly depressed when she realized her time in the Veyron was over.

She turned to the Stig and asked, "Who are you?"

He turned his helmet silently and faced her. Then he faced frontward again and leaned forward slightly. He placed his hands on the sides of his helmet and pulled it off. He sat straight up again and turned his face toward her.

There in the passenger seat sat John Casey, agent of the NSA and Marine Corps colonel.

Her eyes flew open and she shot up in bed. Her heart pounded and she gulped for air. She put a hand to her chest and tried to regulate her breathing. Chuck stirred next to her and rose up on his elbow when he saw her sitting up. When he heard her panting for breath, he sat up next to her, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him. His quiet ministrations that it was just a dream and the gentle way in which he stroked her hair helped her to calm down.

She clung to him as she told him about the dream. It wasn't that it was scary, per se. It was just weird. And Casey was the Stig. Now that was really weird.

They lay back down, Chuck still holding her close in his arms. As the after effects of the dream wore off, she relaxed into his embrace.

"Sarah, baby," he ventured quietly.

"Yeah?" she responded in a whisper.

"I think you've watched enough _Top Gear_ for awhile."

"Yeah, sweetie," she sighed, "I think you're right."

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Sarah blew out her breath in frustration and ran her hands through her hair. She was still feeling a bit off after the weird dream she had. The memory of it was fading but it left her feeling edgy. She was also irritated that she was still stuck and at the mercy of others to get her where she wanted to go. She hated the feeling of being trapped.

She stood by the Nerd Herd desk, waiting for Chuck to finish up with a customer. They were going to lunch soon and she was bored and agitated. Her annoyance level only increased when Big Mike approached her.

"I hear you need a new car," Big Mike stated.

"Yup. News travels fast," she snarked.

Big Mike was taken slightly aback.

She closed her eyes briefly and took a deep, cleansing breath. She breathed out and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Big Mike. I'm feeling a little trapped because I don't have any way of getting around on my own."

Big Mike gave her a forgiving smile. "I understand. That's why I came over to talk to you. I know exactly what you should buy for you new vehicle. And notice I said vehicle, not car." He stopped and paused dramatically. "You should buy a Toyota Tundra pickup!" he crowed.

Sarah's mouth dropped open.

"I see you're stunned by this magnificent revelation," Big Mike went on. "But this V-8 wonder has 381 horsepower to get you to those hard to reach fishing holes. You can throw your fishing gear in the bed and spend a wonderful day at the lake, fishing to your heart's content."

Her bad mood fled and her eyes danced with mirth. "But Big Mike, I don't fish and have never been fishing in my life. I don't think Chuck has ever fished either." She looked over at Chuck and when she saw he was finished with his customer asked, "Chuck, have you ever been fishing?"

His eyebrows knit together, his face puzzled. He caught the look in her eye and when he saw her talking with Big Mike, he quickly put two and two together. "No Sarah, I can't say that I have. Maybe a fishing video game," he ventured.

"Well, that just means that you'll have to take me with you in your new truck when you do start fishing. I'll have to be there to teach you and show you where all the best fishing holes are," he said. "There are some great lakes up in the Sierra's that have some serious rainbow trout." His eyes glazed over and said quietly to himself, "Mmm. I do love me some fresh rainbow trout right off the grill, cooked right there by the lake. God's country."

Chuck and Sarah glanced at each other and smiled, waiting patiently for Big Mike to snap out of his reverie.

Big Mike's eyes focused again and he shook his head slightly, as if to wake himself from a wonderful dream. He looked at Sarah and said, "You let me know when you get that pickup truck and we'll all go fishing."

Sarah smiled and replied, "I'll give it some thought, Big Mike. I can't promise anything though."

"Well, you think hard on it. You do this and you won't be disappointed," he finished with a serious look on his face.

She nodded solemnly and watched Big Mike as he strode off toward the break room. There were donuts.

"So, Chuck," she said with a laugh, "I guess we need to go buy a pickup so Big Mike can go fishing."

"Yeah, because _that's_ our number one priority in life," he replied sarcastically.

She nodded. "And I'm not sure a pickup really goes with the whole spy motif we've got going on," she said playfully.

"Motif. Very nice, Agent Walker. Morgan's 'Word of the Day' calendar?" he asked.

Her eyes sparkled as she grabbed him by the tie, pulled him close and gave him a heart stopping kiss.

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Sarah and Chuck were spending a quiet evening at Devon and Ellie's eating pizza and taking turns holding Clara. It felt good to just sit and relax. She looked affectionately at Chuck as he held his niece and made funny faces at her.

Sarah turned to Ellie and said with a hint of resignation, "I know you want to put your two cents in on what kind of car I should buy. It seems to be the hot topic of conversation in the greater Burbank area. So spill."

Ellie looked as if she had been bursting to give Sarah her advice, so she said, "Sarah, I know I should push you to get a minivan. You know, planning for the future," she said, first eyeing Sarah and then Chuck. Sarah felt her face flush and Chuck simply acted like he didn't hear his sister at all. Instead, he judiciously continued to make faces at Clara. Sarah knew he had heard though, since she could see that the tips of his ears had turned crimson.

"Ellie, we…" Sarah started, but Ellie put her hand up to stop her.

"I know, Sarah. I don't see you as a minivan driving kind of person," Ellie said.

Sarah felt a wave of relief flood through her. She didn't see herself as a minivan kind of person, either.

"Now, Chuck, on the other hand…" Ellie teased, shooting a look Chuck's direction.

This time Chuck looked up from his niece and said, "Hey, wait a minute!" in an attempt to defend himself. He looked at the three dubious faces staring back at him and a grin split his own. "Yeah, totally a minivan kind of guy," he admitted.

Ellie nodded and said, "Uh huh." She turned her attention back to Sarah and continued, "Sarah, I think you should get a Range Rover. Their safe, their practical…"

"It'd be great for going on fishing trips…" Chuck interrupted. That comment was greeted with confusion from Devon and Ellie and an icy stare from Sarah.

"You're lucky you're holding your niece right now or you would have had this stuffed penguin bouncing off your head," she said with mock menace in her voice.

"Hope it doesn't land on top of the TV. 'There's a penguin on the telly,'" Chuck laughed.

She tried to give him a withering stare, but her amusement with him was evident.

Ellie shook her head and exclaimed, "Wait, what? What's this about fishing?"

Sarah smiled ruefully and said, "Big Mike wants me to buy a Toyota Tundra so he can go with us when we go fishing. Which we've never done, I might add. Jeff and Lester tried to sell me Jeff's stalker van." That elicited simultaneous "ugh"s and involuntary shivers from both Ellie and Devon. "Casey wants me to buy a Hummer, Alex wants me to buy a Smart Car and Morgan wants me to buy the Black Beauty from _The Green Hornet_." At that last revelation, Chuck's head shot up.

"Yeah, I hadn't told you about that one," she said with a twinkle in her eye.

Devon had been listening intently and finally spoke up. "Sarah, this is your car, you should get what you want. But, dude, you need a classy, sophisticated car. Spies need cars like that. You need to get an Aston Martin." He smiled and nodded as if he had found the perfect answer, "James Bond drives an Aston Martin."

Sarah smiled at Devon and said, "Already looked, Devon. A DBS V-12 will set you back a quarter of a million dollars."

"Whoa!" Devon's face fell, "Not awesome," he managed.

She nodded. "I guess I don't get paid as well as James Bond."

Her brow suddenly furrowed as a realization struck her. She looked over at Chuck and asked, "Chuck, you're the only person who hasn't advised me about what kind of car I should get. Why is that?"

He leaned back and moved Clara so she lay on his chest with her legs scrunched up under her like a tiny, warm ball. He rubbed his cheek across the top of her fuzzy head and took in her baby scent. He looked up at Sarah and said simply, "You'll know it when you see it." He paused and locked eyes with her, "I'll support you in whatever you do."

She sat there, stunned, her heart absolutely melting. She didn't know how it was possible, but she loved him more at that moment than any other time, ever. She knew he was talking about more than supporting her in buying a car. She knew he meant that he would always support her in everything she did. Her eyes glistened and the tears stung. She gave him an intimate smile and he returned it with his own, their eyes still locked.

Devon shot a look at Ellie and she rolled her eyes. He glanced at his watch and said, "Well, it's getting late and we should get our little pumpkin to bed." That brought Chuck and Sarah back to earth.

Ellie stood up, walked over to Chuck and picked up Clara. "Chuck, thanks for putting her to sleep," she smiled warmly at him. She knew he would be a great dad some day.

Chuck and Sarah said their goodnights and strolled hand in hand across the courtyard to their own apartment.

"Okay, Sarah, no more talking about this car thing. Tomorrow we'll go to one of those auto plaza places where they have every kind of make and model of car imaginable. We'll walk around and test drive some cars. We'll find something, I promise."

They stopped just outside their front door. Sarah stood on her tiptoes and gave Chuck a sweet, tender kiss. "I love you," she said, her voice thick with emotion.

"I love you, too. More than you know," he replied, meaning it.

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**A/N, part II: ** Hat tip to **Doc in Oz** for the idea of Casey being the Stig. Great addition.


	4. Chapter 4 Discovery

**A/N:** Well, folks, we've come to the end of our story. I hope you have enjoyed Motorhead Sarah. My sincerest thank you to all have read and commented on this little story.

A special thank you to **Wepdiggy** who included this story in his "What the Frak is Wepdiggy Reading? Wedding Edition" over at Castle Inanity (a blog you should be reading). I am truly honored to have it listed as his "Something New."

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck. But I have eaten at the Tommy's just down the street from the Anheuser-Busch brewery on Roscoe in Van Nuys. It was an unforgettable experience.

**Chapter 4 – Discovery**

Chuck drove the Herder out the 101 freeway from Burbank toward Van Nuys. He transitioned from the 101 to the 405 North and headed for the Roscoe Boulevard offramp. He and Sarah were headed for an auto plaza located there, just across the freeway from the Anheuser-Busch brewery. She stared silently out the window.

"Sarah, are you sure you're okay with coming here?" he asked as he found a parking space along the street.

"Yeah, Chuck, it's fine," she said without enthusiasm. She had decided that she was going to have to simply settle for something to drive. She also realized that finding the perfect car was a myth. "I thought we would look at Volvos first," she said glumly. Her research showed that they were safe, dependable and within her price range.

Chuck jumped out of the Herder and ran around to her side of the car. He opened her door, grabbed her hand and helped her out. His kissed her hand and said in a reassuring voice, "It will be fine. Trust me."

She gave him a sweet smile. She was so glad he was there with her. She still didn't hold out much hope that this would end well, but she appreciated his effort.

They walked hand-in-hand toward the main show room. Chuck opened the door for her and she stepped in, glancing around. It was one of those show rooms with floor to ceiling windows and shiny cars sitting in the middle of it. They walked about eight steps into the room when Sarah stopped dead in her tracks. Chuck stopped next to her and snuck a look at her face. There he saw a look of wonder.

She grabbed his arm, pulled him close and whispered in his ear, "That's it! That's the one, right there." She discreetly pointed at a shiny black sports car sitting in the center of the room. She felt like slapping her hand to her forehead. _Of course_, she thought to herself. "The Lotus Evora," she breathed, her eyes glazing over.

"Are you sure? I mean, we just got here and we haven't even…" he stopped when he saw the gleam in her eye.

In a dreamy voice she said quietly, "6 speed manual transmission, 3.5 liter engine, 276 horsepower, 258 foot pounds of torque, top speed is approximately 165 mph. Mid-engine. Zero to sixty in 4.9 seconds. It can get 30 miles to the gallon." She snapped out of her reverie and looked at Chuck. In a frustrated voice she said, "How could I have missed it? Why wasn't it on my list? Clarkson really liked this car." The thought for a moment, then her eyes opened wider. "I remember now. I blocked it from my memory because Clarkson was wearing a shirt the color of orange construction cones during that episode." She shuddered, looked back at Chuck and intoned, "Orange is _not_ my favorite color."

Chuck smiled and nodded. She hadn't worn the color orange since her last day at the Orange Orange. He made sure he never wore anything orange either. "Right. No orange." He glanced over to the Evora and said, "Do you remember how much it cost?"

She nodded and replied, "The one Clarkson drove was a 2009. It was £50,000 then, which is about $75,000. I'm afraid it might be a lot more two years later."

"Let's go look at the sticker price," he said. "Sarah, if it costs too much, you'll have to walk away." He moved his head so he was right in front of her face. She looked through him at first, her eyes once again locked on the car. Then she focused on him and said, "Mmmm, what?"

He made sure to make eye contact with her before he repeated, "If the price is too high, you have to walk away."

Her eyes clouded in disappointment, but she knew he was right. She gave him a weak smile and nodded. A lump formed in her throat as they approached the beautiful black machine. So shiny. She took a circuit around the car, taking in its sleek lines and low profile. Oh, she really wanted this car. She took a deep breath and held it as she looked down at the sticker placed on the inside of the window. MSRP: $79,025. Huh. It was still a lot of money, especially after all the taxes added on, but she was thrilled it was only five digits and not six.

She quickly turned to Chuck and said hopefully, "This isn't completely out of the question, is it?"

He thought for a moment and then a smile broke out on his face. "If we can get them to come down on the price a little, and with Beckman's money, I think we can do this." She grinned at him, her blue eyes blazing with delight. "Sarah, don't look at me like that! Now I'll have to sell a kidney if necessary to make sure you get this car."

She smirked and slapped him playfully on the arm. "I don't think it will come to that, but thanks for the offer. You can keep your kidney," she laughed.

Just then her eyes narrowed and her body stiffened. She felt the presence of person standing on the other side of her. She turned and saw a man a little shorter than her with slick black hair and wearing an expensive Italian suit. "Sweet ride, isn't it?" he asked. "Your brother has nice taste in cars."

She flinched. Her fingers itched to grab one of the knives secreted on her person and slice off his…tie. And without even realizing it, she had changed from Sarah Walker, consumer, to Agent Walker, CIA operative tasked to secure this car by any means necessary.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said sweetly to the man. "This isn't my brother. He's my fiancé."

Chuck turned to look at him. He expected to see the same disappointed look he always saw on men's faces when she introduced him as her fiancé. However, when he looked in this man's face, he had a very different reaction. He flashed. A mug shot of the man, several images of expensive cars and the name of a mob king exploded in his brain. Fortunately, the man didn't see Chuck's face when he flashed because he was still staring at Sarah. She, however, glanced at Chuck when she felt his body stiffen a little and immediately recognized the flash. _Interesting_, she thought.

Chuck recovered quickly from his flash, extended his hand to the salesman and said, "Hi, I'm Chuck and this is Sarah." The salesman shook their hands and said, "I'm Franklin Monroe. What can I do to help you drive this car home today?"

"Well, Franklin, this is a Lotus," she said. "British carmaker, yes? I believe they designed a test track in Surrey, England." She smiled at the memory of her informative dream.

Franklin stared blankly at her for a moment and then typed on the iPad he carried with him. "Yes," he answered.

She waited for a minute. She knew she wanted to test drive it. She just wanted to make Franklin, car salesman, squirm. Franklin stood silently and waited. Chuck was amused by all of this. He knew Sarah had it under control. He just needed to be there for her. Finally, she nodded to herself and said, "I'd like to test drive it."

Franklin's snorted and said, "This is a lot of car. Are you sure you don't want to try out something that's a little less…powerful? We have some nice Volvos over here," he said, stepping away from the Evora toward a Volvo parked a few feet away.

She rose to her full height. Her blue eyes flashed dangerously and she took a menacing step toward Franklin. Chuck stepped forward to intervene and diffuse the volatile situation. "Actually," he said quickly, "Sarah is an excellent driver. I don't think she'll have any trouble with it." He placed a hand on the small of her back. She felt his calming touch and relaxed a little, moving from DEFCON 1 to DEFCON 2. "Why don't you go get the keys so she can drive it?"

Franklin shrugged and nodded. The dubious look on his face remained. He walked toward an office to get the keys.

"Pillock," she muttered under her breath.

When he was out of earshot, Sarah turned to Chuck and asked, "Chuck, did you flash on that douche, Franklin?"

Chuck nodded and said quietly, "His name isn't really Franklin Monroe. It's Edward Pierce. He's been busted and spent time in prison for grand theft auto. He and his crew boosted high end cars, sold them to the mob, who then shipped them overseas and sold them."

Sarah nodded and hypothesized, "He got out of prison, changed his name and got a job selling cars. How much you want to bet his bosses don't know his real name or his background?"

Chuck shrugged. "I would think they have no idea. So what do we do?" he asked.

"We use it to our advantage," she said simply.

"What? Sarah, blackmail?" He was a little shocked at the suggestion.

She winked at him and said, "Trust me," as Franklin returned with the keys.

"I'm sorry, Chuck, although this is a 2+2, I don't think you'll fit in the back seat," Franklin said. "I have to ride with her, so you'll have to wait here."

"That's fine," he replied. Chuck grabbed Sarah by the waist and pulled her close enough to whisper in her ear, "You aren't going to go all _True Lies_ on this guy are you?"

She gave him a quick yet very passionate kiss. As she pulled away, she only winked and flashed him a wicked grin.

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Franklin maneuvered the car out of the showroom through the giant glass doors and into the lot. He got out of the car, moved around to the passenger side and climbed in. Sarah slid into the driver seat, put her seat belt on and ran her hand across the soft black leather seat. She breathed in the wonderful "new car smell" as she put the key into the ignition. Franklin was babbling on about some feature of the car, but she had completely tuned him out. The only attention she gave him was to ensure that he had his seat belt on. He was going to need it.

She turned on the ignition. A tingle shot up her spine when she heard the primal growl of the engine. She revved the engine a couple of times, just to hear it growl louder. "Oh, Chuck," she growled back.

She put the car in gear, popped out the clutch and mashed down on the accelerator. The back tires spun as they tried to gain traction, smoke billowing and little bits of gravel flying out behind them. The tires found purchase on the asphalt and the Evora launched forward. She grinned from ear to ear when she noticed that Franklin had stopped talking and grabbed for the door handle to hang on to. She maneuvered the Lotus out onto the street. As she drove, she put it through its paces, slamming the gearshift forward and back. She slowed down and sped up. She stomped on the brake, their bodies straining against the restraints. When she made a turn, the tires screeched in protest. She roared through the streets of Van Nuys, falling in love with the car with each passing moment. She merged onto the 405 and floored it. The car leapt forward, pinning Franklin's head to the headrest. She smiled at the glances thrown her way by the other drivers on the freeway as she expertly sped through the light traffic.

She was convinced beyond all doubt that this was the car for her. She took the next off ramp, crossed over the freeway and merged back into traffic, heading back toward the dealership. Franklin continued his silence, his face drained of color.

She turned into the dealership parking lot at a high rate of speed and spied a parking space. She accelerated toward the spot. Then she lifted her right foot off the accelerator, smashed down on the brake and clutch with her both feet, yanked up on the emergency hand brake and cranked the wheel. She power slid into the parking space where the car came to a stop. She turned off the engine.

"You can open your eyes now, Franklin," she smirked.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chuck and Sarah sat in the two chairs across the desk from Franklin.

"I'm glad you love the car, Sarah, but I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to come down on the price at all," Franklin smarmed.

_Bastard knows I love the car and doesn't think he needs to deal_, Sarah thought. She leaned forward and put her forearms on the desk. She looked Franklin in the eye and said in a low voice, "You know, _Edward_, you might want to reconsider that position."

Franklin/Edward blanched. "Um, I think you've made a mistake. My name is Franklin. Franklin Monroe."

Sarah shook her head and said, "Um, no. I think _you've_ made a mistake. Your name is Edward. Edward Pierce."

Franklin looked over at Chuck, who said nothing. He looked placidly at Franklin/Edward and let Sarah handle it.

His eyed narrowed. "Are you with LAPD?" Franklin asked.

"No, I'm not," Sarah said truthfully. Her face was neutral and gave nothing away. She simply stared at him.

"You know," Franklin said nervously, "I think I might be able to figure out a way we can bring the overall price down on that car a little. Let's see, the MSRP is almost $80,000. Why don't I drop it by $5,000, to $75,000."

He glanced into her face. She didn't even blink.

"Five thousand is a pretty small percentage overall, isn't it?" he stammered, little beads of sweat erupting on his forehead. He grabbed a tissue and wiped it dry. He squirmed in his chair and shuffled the papers in front of him. "I can take off $10,000."

He sneaked another look. Her face was like stone.

"$20,000?" he ventured. That was met with an eyebrow quirk. She waited.

"$30,000? I really can't go any lower than that. My bosses will take it out of my salary," he whined.

She finally let a smile cross her face and said sweetly, "Well, we wouldn't want that to happen, would we?" She put her hand out and said, "Nice doing business with you, _Edward_."

Franklin/Edward shook her hand, heaved a huge sigh of relief and visibly relaxed. "I have some paperwork to do, so I'll be right back." He nearly sprinted out the door.

Sarah relaxed, leaned back in her chair and grinned at Chuck. "That was fun," she stated.

He let a low whistle and grinned back at her. "You just got that car at an almost 40% discount. Remind me never to play poker with you, Miss Walker. You have quite the poker face."

A lascivious smile grew on her face and she leaned close to him. "Not even strip poker?" she said in a husky voice.

He visibly jerked in his chair and his eyes grew wide. He recovered and returned her smile with an eyebrow dance. "Do you even know how to play poker?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes and put her lips near his ear and whispered, "My specialty is Texas Hold 'Em." He shivered. She brushed her lips against his ear and murmured suggestively, "Do you want to play Hold 'Em with me, Chuck?"

She smiled when she heard him gulp. "I…uh…mmmm…fwah…" was all he could manage.

She nibbled his earlobe and said in a soft voice, "I'll take that as a 'yes.'"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It took another hour of paperwork before they could get away from the dealership, but eventually Sarah proudly drove away in her brand new Lotus Evora. Chuck tried to keep up with her in the Herder on the way home, but was soon left behind.

She stood admiring her new car when Chuck arrived back at the apartment building. He walked over to her and put an arm around her waist, pulling her close. "I have to say, Sarah, you are smokin' hot in that car. It suits you perfectly."

She smiled at him appreciatively and gave him a quick kiss. "Thank you. You're sweet." She turned and looked at the car admiringly. "I love it. I loved the Porsche, but this is an _excellent_ car."

"What are we doing to do about our friend Franklin Monroe/Edward Pierce?" Chuck asked.

"Oh, I made a couple of anonymous phone calls as soon as I pulled up here. I called the local police and told them should there be a rash high end vehicles being stolen, they might want to look at our friend. I also called the dealership, told them that he is using an alias and gave them his real name. I figure they'll take it from there."

Chuck nodded, glad she had taken care of their "friend."

"And I never blackmailed him," she clarified. "I only said his real first name and that he should change his position on not coming down on the price. If he was clean, he would have called my bluff."

"I know," he answered. "You were simply using the information you had to your advantage."

She snickered. "Your flash saved us thousands of dollars."

"Well, as a thank you, can I take the Lotus for a little drive?" he asked hopefully.

Rather than answering his question, she deflected it by stepping close to him and planting on him a deep, ardent kiss. Driving the Lotus seemed to have gotten her motor running in more ways than one. His initial surprise quickly faded and he returned her kiss with equal passion. They were both panting when they broke apart. "Yes, I'll play strip poker with you," she answered.

He was completely rattled as all the blood rushed out of his brain and into a different part of his body. "Did I ask a question?" he slurred.

"Mmmhmm," she purred and kissed him again, this time within an inch of his life. Then she took him by the hand and led him away from the car toward their apartment. He stumbled along behind her, unable to put two coherent thoughts together.

They reached the door and stopped. She went up onto her tiptoes and breathed in his ear, "I think we should just skip the poker and go to the strip part of the game, don't you?"

"Flzerk…bahmphf…mmm," he replied, his eyes glazed.

She smiled as she unlocked and opened the door. She _knew_ that was a "yes."

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**A/N, part 2**: The car Sarah ended up with in this story is the same one she now has on the show. I think it is the perfect car for her.

Please hit that review button and tell me what you think.


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